Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-06-06
Memorial Day at Newport.

lOubu III AldHHOOu, COtiiC W nav
fresh and peculiar interest. The soldier,
who twenty-five years ago was engaged
in war, if carried back by history, remi-
niscence or meditation to the days of
conflict, finds himself absorbed in a turn
of thought that fills his soul with deepest
emotion. Hence, from year to year
memorial services, as conducted by the
Grand Army are becoming more and
more interesting to the ones who are
spared to engage in them, and to the
people. In most of the towns May Both
has become important, and not only the
Post but the public are ready to make
the day an honor to the cause.
In Newport this year there was a large
attendance and more elaborate exercises
| than ever before. Baxter Post, named
in honor of the late Portus Baxter, is
perhaps the strongest Post in the county,
and is composed of many men who won
distinction, both as officers and privates
in the service, and who to-day are hold
ing important places in the civil walks
of life. The Post is in a prosperous con-
dition under the command at present of
Capt. J. G. MoultOn.
An appropriate and interesting memo
rial sermon was preached by Rev. +. 7.
Wild on Sunday, and on Monday at l 80
a procession was formed under the di-
| rections of marshals L. Med. Smith, G.
W. Cade and J. B. Betters. headed by
the No. Troy band, composed of the
| Newport Rifles, Baxter Post, Veterans,
| Woman's Relief Corps, States, represent
| ed by young ladies, Sunday school schol-
| ars and citizens. A procession was
| formed near Post headquarters at 1 80
| d, m. The procession after pass
! ing several streets in the village, pro-
ceeded to the West Derby cemetery,
| where the ritual and speaking services
were to be held. Here a stand had been
erected and a beautiful memorial arch,
representing the unknown" had been
placed. After the formation of the Rifles
and the Post about the arch, the beauti-
| ful ritual service of the Post was pro-
ceeded with, when the large gathering
went to the stand where the band and
the Newport quartette discOursed both
/
memorial and patriotic airs. Prayer
was offered by the Rev. G. F. Arms when
| comrade Geo. H. Blake Of Barton, gave
an address. Allusion was made to the
fact that the late Chaplain and deceased
comrade of the Post, Rev. A. L. Morey,
had been invited to deliver the address,
and that his untimely and sudden death
! L 1.,FN hn nnhl n f a
great pleasure in hearing him, but that
| it was but another sad reminder of the
fact that the old soldiers are being rapid
ly mustered out. The speech of COM
rade Blake was of memorial character,
and was attentively listened to. Com
rade f. H. NYe read the address pre-
| pared by Mr. Morey. which is given be-
| low. The services ended by prayer and
benediction by the Rev. Mr.. Hooper.
| The following is the address
| COMRADES OF THE GRAND ARMY, AND
| FRIENDS OF THE CITIZEN SOLDIER,-To-
| day Columbia lays aside her sceptre, puts
| off the cap of Liberty, descends from her
throne and kneels among her dead. Flow
| ers and tears, JOY and sorrow, hope and
fear are all about her, while hammered col
umns fill her streets, deep-tOned cannons
| drown her sobs and white-robed children
twine flowers into garlands and tenderly
cover the grass-grown graves of her fall
| en- heroes.
Why these unending professions year
| by year, with tribute of love and loyalty
bestowed upon the fallen? Not because
they are soldiers merely, for Xerxes and
| Caesar and BOnaparte and Wellington
marshaled armies of heroes, who died in
| battle. Nor that they fell in defence of
Liberty do we honor them. Others as
brave like Winkelried in High Alps, or
the three hundred at ThermOpyl@, have
barred their breasts to man, and like Will
| liam Tell in Swiss Valley or blind Proco-
puis on Prussian plains have periled all
for Liberty.
Our heroes died for the rights of HUI
manity throughout the world. They bat
tied not alone for America but for God.
| Out of the sulphurious smoke and carnage
| of fratricidal strife, our living heroes
! bare triumphant the banner of the free,
unsullied, untarnished, set with its galaxy
of glittering stars, and girdled with its
bright stripes of glory. Our dead heroes
paid the price of the nations honor and
| sleep while that nation reaps the fruits of
peace. Two civilizations landed in the
sixteenth century on the fair shores of this
| new world one of chevaliers in Virginia,
| Tho o+ba. tho puritanS i'm Massachusetts
Antagonistic in manners, politics, So
| cial practice, the two grew, lncreaS-
ed. extended, met in Congress Hail. where
the towering form of Webster and his
| brilliant forensic elOquence pervaded, and
the ehevalier sank before the puritan in
| debate Resorting to arms again these
| two civilizations clashed together in vary
| ing fortune for four long years of blood
| and woe, when once more the Puritan
| throttled his foe at AppomattOx and Grant
said LET there be Peace" Peace came,
fair, sweet Peace! In the presidential
! election of 1860 there were no votes cast
| for the republican candidate by ten of the
southern states. Virginia out of I67 900
gave less than Z, 900 votes to Lincoln. Elec-
/ ton udN Ieil on NOV. .. Nbu the next ut1S ,
/ Nov 7th, South Carolina, knowing how
the majority of the elections would favor
Lincoln and Hamlin, issued, through her
| legislature a call for state convention.
| This was to meet Dec. 18th. Before its
meeting a bill providing for an army of
| O.OO0 men for S. c., was passed Dec.
10. Pickens was chosen governor. In
| his inaugural speech he said. ''They have
thus combined party exclusively in the
northern states whose ayowed objects
not only endangered the peace but the
very existence of nearly one-half Of the
states of this confederacy, and in the re-
cent election for president and vice-presi-
dent of these states, they have carried the
election upon principles that make it no
| longer safe for Us TO rely upon the pow
| ers of the federal government. or the guar
antees of the federal compact. This il
the great overt act of the people in the